Play Ball!

Hi everyone!

As my regular readers may know, every May the high school where I work hosts a special luncheon for those students who took one or more AP exams that school year. (You can read more about AP exams and what they are here).  I have had the privilege of being involved in the "theming" of this event for many years now, and each year I try to come up with something more fun than the last.

In 2015, we did a wild west theme that was very fun and the year before that we put on our own "county fair."  This year, we decided on a baseball theme and I think it was the best one yet.  Our slogan was, "Hit one out of the park with AP!" (Credit for the slogan goes to my friend/AP coordinator)

Students were greeted by baseball posters of Miller Park and inspirational posters with baseball legends.  Mr. Bluebird and I made these faux fences out of spray painted PVC pipe .  We also strung foam baseballs on chains for a fun touch.

Our tables were decorated with baseball turf table cloths.  The centerpieces were home plates, a baseball bat tripod and a baseball shaped beach ball.  Mr. Bluebird and I spent many an hour making sixteen of them and I have the blue & white spray painted fingers as proof, lol!  I think they turned out so cute and their size really made a big impact - not an easy feat when you are setting up in a gymnasium, lol.

 I made a You Tube playlist of baseball music videos and was able to play them on our extra large Smart Board for a Jumbotron kind of feel thoughout the luncheon.  We served students during three lunch periods.

Several food stations were set up around the room and offered baseball stadium fare.  I have to give credit to my friend/AP coordinator for the catchy names - so cute.  I took a styrofoam half  ball and made a "faux" baseball for each sign.  I just printed the design off the computer, traced it onto the ball and filled in with sharpies.

Another view of the room.  This is our gymnastics gym, so we covered the mirror with large baseball cutouts.

 We even brought in a "tailgate" area - as we Wisconsinites love a good tailgate, lol!  We surprised the kids with official the "Racing Sausages" of the Milwaukee Brewers.  They were such a hit and all of the kids had the chance to get their picture taken with them.

Even this kid (posing with Hot Dog - my personal fave)!

This is my favorite picture of the room and really shows the size of the centerpieces.

The kids had a chance to win door prizes and also, the posters and pennants used in the decor were raffled off.

I always try to do this as low budget as possible, so I really have to get creative and go digging for deals.  This year's luncheon decor was pretty labor intensive, but Mr. Bluebird and I consider it a labor of love - the kids at my school are so awesome and deserve this special day.

This partially explains my absence from blogging for awhile - we were busy getting all of the details done.  Now, the luncheon is behind us (until next spring!) and I hope to be back blogging regularly.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

Linking with:
Share Your Style